Passage [CD]

Following his Blue Note Records debut "Homeward Bound" (2021), drummer, composer and bandleader Johnathan Blake returns with his quintet Pentad, consisting of alto saxophonist Immanuel Wilkins, vibraphonist Joel Ross, keyboardist David Virelles and bassist Dezron Douglas. This time, Blake has dedicated the album to his father John Blake Jr, a jazz violinist whose rousing composition "Passage" gives the work its title.

Described by NPR Music as the "ultimate modernist", Blake, who grew up in Philadelphia, has worked with Pharoah Sanders, Ravi Coltrane, Tom Harrell, Avishai Cohen, Chris Potter, Maria Schneider and many others. DownBeat once wrote: "It's a testament to Blake's abilities that he makes his presence felt in any context."

Prior to his two Blue Note albums under his own name, Johnathan Blake has appeared frequently on albums by other Blue Note artists in recent years, including Dr. Lonnie Smith's "Breathe" (2021), "All in My Mind" (2018) and "Evolution" (2016) and Kenny Barron's "Concentric Circles" (2018), in whose trio Blake has been a key member for almost 15 years.